Those drivers who believe whitetails are too much with us can take solace in a recent report
from State Farm Insurance indicating the rate of deer-vehicle collisions dropped for the third
straight year.

Using its most recent data, State Farm reported that 1.09 million deer-vehicle collisions
occurred in the United States between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011. That’s a decline of about 9
percent from three years ago.

Ohio ranked 15th among State Farm’s listing of 16 “high-risk” states. Buckeye State drivers had
a 1-in-127 chance of hitting a deer. The chance of a deer-vehicle collision was highest in
neighboring West Virginia, where one in 48 drivers collided with a deer during the one-year
period.

The rut, or mating season, approaches its peak in Ohio during late October and early November.
During the rut, hormones drive procreatively inclined deer into reckless chases as bucks pick up
the scent of fertile does. Because of the antics of distracted deer, drivers need to be on high
alert for road crossings.

What to make of the decline in deer-vehicle accidents probably isn’t clear. It’s possible that
deer populations are down from their peak, which might be the case in Ohio. Drivers also might have
learned caution, particularly in deer-heavy areas. Less likely, perhaps, is deer carrying genes
that make them prone to getting run over are being eliminated.

State Farm indicated Nevada, with a 1-in-1,574 chance, was the contiguous state where drivers
had the smallest chance of hitting a deer. A Hawaiian’s chance was 1 in 6,016, minuscule but
fantastically better than hitting any lottery jackpot.

Learn to love ’em

Perhaps to be filed under the category of “when life offers lemons, make lemonade,”
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant has issued a fact sheet,
Asian Carp Cuisine: Recipe to “wet” your appetite.

Parting shots

A form of blue-green algae, anabaena, caused the death of 100 elk discovered in northwest New
Mexico in late August, the state’s Department of Game and Fish concluded. … Hunters in Wisconsin
killed 95 wolves during the first week of the season, forcing an early end to the hunt in several
districts where quotas were filled.